Automatic steam-trap.



N0. 851,480. A PATBNTED APR. 23, 1907. W. AUSTIN.

AUTOMATIC STEAM TRAP. APPLICATION nun JUNE 27, 1906.

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mi a ATTORNEYS 1n: NORRIS psrzns co. wAsmuc-xvlrfn. c.

No. 851,480. PATBNTED APR. 23, 1907.

r w. AUSTIN.

AUTOMATIC STEAM TRAP. APPLIUATIOKIILBD JUNE 27, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

rlws/v'rom WITNESSES W I ihllzam, ayus'iifl/ ATTORNEYS WILLIAM AUSTIN, OF SORANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC STEAM-TRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23, 1907.

Application filed Jane 27, 1906. Serial No. 323,590.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM AUsTIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Steam-Trap, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to steam traps.

The object of the invention is to produce a device of this kind which may constitute an accessory for a steam pipe system, and which will operate to collect the water of condensation, and expel the same automatically and periodically without allowing any escape of the steam.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be described more fully hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanydrawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the steam trap, a portion of the same being shown in cross section; Fig. 2 is a vertical section I ment of the valve seat; and Fig. 4 is a cross section through the valve and showing its relation with respect to the ports.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 represents the case of a trap which is of any suitable form, provided above with a cover 2 through which a pipe connection 3 may connect with a depressed point in a steam plant or system, the arrangement being such as to enable the water of condensation throughout the system to drain into the trap, as will be readily understood. On the side wall of the case, as indicated, I provide a steam cylinder 4. This cylinder is arranged in an aligning or tandem position with a valve 5. Within the cylinder there is a piston 6, the rod 7 whereof extends into the interior of the valve 5, at which point it carries a plug 8 adapted to come against a seat 9 so as to close an outlet opening to a nipple 10. The interior of the valve 5 is in communication with the interior of the case 1 through a second nipple 11. At the point where the piston rod 7 passes through the ends of the cylinder and valve, suitable stulling boxes 12 are formed, as shown. The body of the cylinder 4 is formed integral with a hub 13 which projects at right angles to the axis of the cylinder, and is screwed into the side wall of the case as indicated. This hub projects into the interior of the case and its inner face 14 constitutes a seat for a rotary valve 15. In the hub 13 there is formed 'an inlet port 16 which extends inwardly from the valve seat and communicates with the interior of the cylinder 4 above the piston 6. In the lower portion of the hub 13 a similar inlet port 17 is formed which leads to the lower end of the cylinder. The arrangement of these ports is very clearly shown in Fig. 3. In addition to the ports just referred to, there is provided an exhaust port 18 which extends inwardly from the valve seat and is formed with a lateral extension 19 which communicates, through an exhaust pipe 19, with the water valve 5. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the valve seat 14 is circular in form, and the steam ports 16 and 17 are disposed diametrically opposite to each other 011 avertical line, while the exhaust port 18 is disposed on a horizontal line passing through the center of the seat. The center of the seat 14 is provided with a bore 20 which receives rotatably the reduced extension 21 of a spindle 22, which spindle is rotatably mounted at its opposite extremity in a suitable stul'llng box 23 formed in the opposite wall of the case.

The aforesaid valve 15 is of substantially cylindrical form, having a reduced neck 24 formed near the outer extremity thereof. Around this neck there is received a ring 25 which is connected by a transverse pin 26 with the spindle 22, and this pin passes through slots 27 formed in the extremity of the neck 24. From this arrangement it will be understood that when the spindle 22 is rotated, it will rotate the valve upon its seat; at the same time, a longitudinal shifting of the valve on the spindle is permitted. The neck 24 is formed with a bore 28 which reeeives a collar 29 mounted on the spindle and secured by the aforesaid cross pin 26. Against the end of this collar 29 a coiled s rin 30 resses, the inner extremity of this- P e P spring thrusting against the bottom of the bore 28. This spring operates to assist in holding the valve upon its seat.

Upon the spindle 22 a float arm 31 1s r gidly attached, said arm being provided at its extremity with a float or ball 32. It should be understood that as the water accumulates in the. case 1, this ball will rise on account of its buoyancy and will operate to rotate the spindle 22 and actuate the valve. In this connection, it should be understood that the plug 8 of the valve is normally held upon its seat by steam pressure exerted on the upper side of the piston 6, it being understood that normally the upper side of the cylinder is in communication through the valve with the interior of the case. However, after a sufficient quantity of water has accumulated in the case, the arm 31 will rise sufficiently to close the port 16 and admit steam through the port 17 to the under side of the piston. When this takes place, the piston rises in the cylinder and opens the valve 5. The valve 5 being in communication with the interior of the case below the water line, it follows that the pressure of steam in the case, assisted by gravity, will operate to expel the water of condensation through the valve. The valve arrangement is such, however, that the valve will close before the water level drops below the nipple 11. In other words, the outlet valve from the case is always immersed, and consequently does not allow any steam to escape. A rib 33 is provided on the bottom of the case which operates as a stop to limit the downward movement of the float.

The port arrangement of the valve is clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4. The valve has two arcuate ports or passages 34 and 35, the latter of which co-operates with the exhaust port 18, while the former of which co-operates with the steam ports 16- and 17. These arcuate ports 34 and 35 are separated by a diametrically disposed web 36 which is formed in the valve as indicated. The port 35 is entirely closed and simply affords means for connecting either of the steam ports with the exhaust port. The port 34, however, is formed with an opening 37 in its side, tlnough which the port com municates with the interior of the case. This portion of the case, it will be understood, is full of steam so that it will be evident that if the port 34 should communicate with either of the ports 16 and 17, steam will be admitted to the interior of the cylinder 4. When the valve 15 is in its mid-position, the web 36 is disposed in a vertical line, closing both the ports 16 and 17.

In Fig. 4 the valve is shown in the position which it assumes when the float 32 has reached the limit of its downward movement. Under these circumstances, the upper portion of the port 34 is in communication with the port 16, which admits steam to the upper side of the piston so as to force the plug 8 downwardly, closing the valve 5. As the water accumulates within the case the ball float 32 rises and the valve will rotate upon its seat in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 4. WVhen this movement has continued sufficiently, the port 16 will become closed, and later, the lower portion of the port 34 will communicate with the port 17, admitting steam to the under side of the piston. About the time that this takes place, the port 35 will have connected the steam port 16 with the exhaust port 18 so that the upper side of the cylinder will be open to exhaust. I/Vhen this occurs, the steam pressure under the piston will raise it and open the valve 5, as will be readily un derstood. The water is then ejected through the valve 5 in the manner suggested above. The spring 30 referred to above operates to hold the valve upon its seat and, of course, the steam pressure on the back of the valve insures that the valve will be substantially steam-tight. In order to enable the valve to be opened by hand if desired, instead of automatically, the spindle 22 is extended through the wall of the case opposite the cylinder, and is provided with a suitable lever 38 co-operating with a quadrant 39. In order to enable the case 1 to be drained inde pendently of the valve 5, I provide a throwoff or drain valve 40 in the body thereof, which may be 'of any suitable construction such as that shown in Fig. 1.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a steam trap, in combination, a case, a water valve in communication with the interior thereof, a steam cylinder having a hub adapted to screw into said case, the inner end of said hub constituting a valve seat, said hub having inlet ports passing from said valve seat and communicating with the interior of said cylinder, said seat having a bore therein, a spindle rotatably mounted in said bore, a rotary valve mounted on said spindle and lying against said seat, said hub having an exhaust port opening upon said seat, said valve affording means for controlling the opening of said ports, an arm attached to said spindle carrying a float adapted to rise and fall with the water level in said case, and a connection from said cylinder to said water valve for operating the latter.

2. In a steam trap, in combination, a case,

a water valve adapted to drain the same, a

steam cylinder connected with said valve for operating the same, said cylinder presenting a valve seat disposed within said case and having inlet ports and an exhaust port opening upon said seat, a spindle rotatably mounted in said case, a steam valve adapted i In testimony whereof I have signed my to be rotated by sald sp1ndle and lylng 1 name to tlus specification 111 the presence ol agamst said seat, a sprlng pressing sald two subscrlbmg Witnesses.

steam Valve upon said seat, and an arm car- WlLLIAM AUSTIN. Tying a float mounted on said spindle and Witnesses: adapted to rise and fall with the water level "R. WV. HUGHEs,

Within said case. J AMES EVANS. 

